Stocking attachment



March 6, 1951 CARR 2,544,065

STOCKING ATTACHMENT Filed April 29, 1949 RZ'a/ZardZ: aff

Patented Mar. 6, 1951 cries 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a protector attachment for stockings and more particularly has reference to a novel shin guard forming an attachment adapted to be sewed in the inner side of a stocking for protecting the shin against injuries.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a protector particularly adapted to be worn by football players but which is equally adaptable for use by players engaged in other sports involving body contact such as soccer and hockey.

Among the primary objects of the present invention are to provide a protector which will afford the needed protection to the shin and which is yet light enough in weight as to not hinder the player in running and which will be disposed snugly against the shin to enable it to be worn comfortably.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel guard or protector which will overcome the disadvantages of other protectors worn in sports in that it is incapable of causing injury to another player and is disposed so that it can not be knocked or torn oif or displaced.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an athletic stocking to which the protector or guard is applied;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the guard or protector removed from the stocking.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates generally a conventional stocking of the long type which is provided in lieu of a foot portion at the lower end thereof with a conventional instep engaging band or strap forming an integral part thereof. However, as the description proceeds it will be obvious that the guard or protector I, constituting the invention, is equally well adapted for use with other types of athletic stockings which may or may not be provided with complete foot portions.

The protector 1 comprises an elongated relatively thick strip of cushioning material, preferably sponge rubber, which is preferably bowed transversely throughout its length and which has an inwardly bowed or recessed upper end 8. The guard or protector I is preferably ten to twelve inches in length, depending upon the height of the player by whom it is to be worn, approximately five inches in width and one inch in thickness. The convex side of the guard or protector "i is adapted to be disposed against the inner side of the front part of the stocking 5 and longitudinally thereof and is permanently secured thereto in any suitable manner as by means of the stitching 9. lhe side edges I0 of the protector l are rounded or beveled from the outer, convex side of said protector to enable the protector to more comfortably fit snugly against the lower part of the shin and lower leg. The guard or protector i is disposed in the stocking 5 so as to extend from above and adjacent the ankle to a point beneath but adjacent to the knee so that the protector will in no way hamper the leg in running. The protector l of the dimensions described will afford ample protection to the shins of wearer yet is suificiently light in weight so as not to burden the player. Further, by being disposed on the inner side of the stocking, the protector is positioned so that it cannot be torn oil or displaced and due to its construction it will be readily apparent that it is not capable of inflicting injuries on other players, a common fault of many types of guards and protectors worn by players of games involving body contact.

Obviously, the thickness, width and length of the protector could be varied for adapting it to other sports such as for use by baseball catchers in lieu of shin guards of the type now conven tionally worn.

Various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A shin guard or protector comprising an elongated relatively thick pad of a cushioning material adapted to be secured to the inner side of the front portion of a stocking and extending longitudinally thereof for covering the front part of the leg from adjacent the ankle to adjacent the knee when the stocking is in an applied position, said guard being formed of a single strip of sponge rubber and having an inwardly bowed upper end and an inner side which is transversely bowed and concave and provided with beveled longi tudinal side edges.

RICHARD El. CARR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,188,718 Jung Jan. 30, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,113 Great Britain of 1908 

